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Category: Academic Life

The absolutely last virtual talk of 2021: Paris / Tokyo / Mega-Events

The absolutely last virtual talk of 2021: Paris / Tokyo / Mega-Events

Usually, when I give a talk, I’m sharing work in progress. The conference is, for me, a way to share my ideas, to learn who else is working on similar directions, and hopefully to fill in some of the gaps in my work as I get it ready for writing. This time, however, it was something new. I spoke at a conference called “Olympic Games and Global Cities”, organized by the Fondation France-Japon at l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences…

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Imprisoned for a retweet: Swiss Geoscience Meeting 2021

Imprisoned for a retweet: Swiss Geoscience Meeting 2021

I’m not going to lie – I miss the energy of conferences in real life. I’ve given a lot of talks this year, and while I’m grateful for the opportunities that virtual participation gives you, I find it increasingly hard to focus during these marathon online conferences. A happy exception to this trend was the session organized by my friend Dennis Pauschinger at this year’s Swiss Geoscience Meeting in virtual Geneva. Dennis hosted a session called “Policing the city: State…

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After the spotlight: Sustainable urban development and geopolitical legacies in former mega-event cities

After the spotlight: Sustainable urban development and geopolitical legacies in former mega-event cities

I submitted my Ambizione project to the Swiss National Science Foundation. Definitely a massive effort! My earlier investigation of submission and acceptance data means that I’m under no illusions about my odds, but I admit that I have hope and am excited about the potential here. Overall, the project is designed to take my existing experience in mega-events and investigate some important under-researched areas. At the same time, I’ve designed it to support and expand my knowledge and competencies in…

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Cancel the summer of super-spreader mega-events

Cancel the summer of super-spreader mega-events

This being a personal academic blog, obviously I tend to share more of my successes rather than setbacks or failures. That said, I think it’s important to share some of the more challenging moments too, so that’s what this one will be about. Back in 2015, I was fortunate enough to have a commentary on mega-events and public health published in The Lancet – certainly a highlight for any early career academic. With a number of high profile mega-events back…

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Ambizione submission, rejection, and acceptance data: twelve years of great and tough news

Ambizione submission, rejection, and acceptance data: twelve years of great and tough news

I have a year and a half left of funding for my current project, so this means two things: 1) get busy publishing and 2) find a new gig. The Swiss National Science Foundation has a lot of generous offerings, and I’ve got some ideas that I think are important and would like to bring into the world. I’m going to apply for an Ambizione grant, which appears to be the appropriate funding instrument for my level. I’ve heard that…

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The give and take of virtual conferences

The give and take of virtual conferences

I finished a month of rather active conference participation, first at the American Association of Geographer’s annual meeting in virtual Seattle, and then the Dislocating Urban Studies workshop in virtual Malmö. I have mixed feelings about our new virtual world. One obvious benefit is the ability to participate in exciting discussions from around the globe, without paying for transit, dealing with jet-lag, or contributing to the destruction of the climate. Via Zoom, I’m able to be in Seattle on Tuesday…

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Translocal teaching and Zoom: perils, problems, and pleasures

Translocal teaching and Zoom: perils, problems, and pleasures

I taught a block course over the last week on urban theory. It was all on Zoom, which is hardly surprising anymore. What was new for me was that I was teaching a group of PhD students in Nigeria. I’ve never been to Nigeria, unfortunately, and I’d love to go. Given the state of world health nowadays, however, it seems I’d have a better chance of traveling to space than getting safely on an airplane. So no luck there. The…

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More advising advice: do you need a kind word or a kick in the pants?

More advising advice: do you need a kind word or a kick in the pants?

I’m not naive enough to pretend there are many readers here, but I’ve been keeping this public notebook of academic musings for awhile now, and every so often I get a letter in response. This one was from a PhD student who read my thoughts last month on mental health and the academy. It got me thinking about not-so-visible dividing lines. These plagued me when I made the decision to go to graduate school and embark on a PhD. It…

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4 points on the compass: a brief mental health orientation for PhD students (and others!)

4 points on the compass: a brief mental health orientation for PhD students (and others!)

Since I won’t be hosting a session on mental health and the academy at this year’s Swiss Geosciences Meeting, I thought I would sketch out here the ideas that I was planning to share. These are 4 basic principles that helped me when I was going through some emotional challenges during my PhD. Some of them are adapted from the University of Zurich’s excellent Stress Management course, and others were honed over time in conversation with other graduate students and…

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Thoughts on how to survive and savor the academic writing process.

Thoughts on how to survive and savor the academic writing process.

I’m writing these notes from a position of unstable privilege. I’m officially a junior lecturer, and I have the luxury of a work contract that gives me several years of predictability. I know how rare that is in the academy and I’m grateful for it. At the same time, this contract will expire in mid/late 2022, and if I don’t secure a suitable post before then, my family and I will have to leave our home in this country and…

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